49 – Orakei Korako and the Puppies
Tigger’s next ride after our shortened NI outing was 40km at Waitomo. This was always another well supported, well enjoyed course. Kerry rode him, I can’t remember why… perhaps Bill was sick, perhaps I had something else on? A pretty quick run for that course so he must have been feeling just fine and fully recovered.
So on to a one star at Waikato’s Orakei Korako course. By now we were in the middle of a drought, the grass was brown. There was no grass to be had on base except a few nibbles here and there, everybody had been told to bring extra feed. No water problems this time thank goodness!
Only three weeks out from the Nationals the main aim was to get around safely, just complete a final run as build up for the next 160 attempt.
Tigger and I were riding on the second day. On the first day there were problems with the course, I don’t remember the details now but Tigger and I headed off with a GPS to measure a piece of the track. Less than one
kilometre from base was a stream, and it was a very pretty, bubbly stream…
At least you might think so, Tigger? Not so much! If you remember back to chapter 36, Tigger had an unfortunate experience with his very first major stream crossing, and since then has always had a tendency to get alarmed at the sound of running water. Being on your own, going away from base and being able to hear the water long before you could see it, it was never going to be good. We had quite a battle and did not even manage to get within 20m of the water! To add to that it was a tricky entrance, down a narrow, steepish, muddy step, so it was time to take alternative action – not to mention we were supposed to be measuring the course, not spinning around in little circles! My boots ended up getting wet, I was NOT HAPPY! But at least it was a hot day.
Not long after that we came across two puppies! Pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There was a house up on the hill, but it was a long way for such small puppies. Another pause while I thought about what to do, there was no way I could carry two puppies on Tigger, even one puppy would be a big ask of him on a good day, and today was not a good day! I decided that it would be best to continue on and hope the puppies got themselves back to where they belonged, as we were right next to the road at this stage it should be easy enough to come back and check later. So Tigger and I cantered to get away from being followed and continued on. I did hear a puppy crying out shortly after I left and assumed it had got a shock off the fence and would hopefully be running homeward. I then managed to bully Tigs through the next stream crossing relatively easily – followed by copious praise and lots of “Brave Tigger!” Not the simple relaxed, course measuring ride I had anticipated!
Of course nearly as soon as I got back to base a rider came in having done that part of the course the correct direction (I had ridden it backwards) carrying a puppy! “Where is the other one?” “There was only one”, “Um, no there were two”. So a couple of us found a carto borrow and went back to the place I had last seen the two puppies together. It was a piece of the course that went around the end of a steep gulley, very deep and filled with gorse for all but the end 20m or so. I noticed that the fences were not electric, so that had not been what I heard, something else had happened to that puppy after I left. We searched up and down, calling, no puppy. Back to the gulley, did that shadow move? No. Wait did it? Yes, I think that’s a black puppy! But the sides of the gulley were nearly vertical and just sand, we certainly couldn’t do anything about it at this stage. There was shade and a trickle of water though, puppy would be ok, so back to base.
I rang my brother in Waitomo, he’s a caver and knows all about abseiling and I thought he might know a suitable person in the area, good idea but nothing easily arranged. The vets were determined however, and as it was an FEI ride both days as well as CEN there were plenty of vets around, some doing one day and not the other but all had arrived and none had left, we had a surplus of vets. So off they headed with as much rope as they could gather. And they returned shortly later with the puppy, one intrepid vet had managed to scramble down, send the puppy up in some sort of sling (I guess) and then manage to get back out himself! The puppy had been fully examined and proclaimed none the worse for wear, just tired and sore. The owners were located easily enough – just away for the day – but as one of the junior riders had taken a shine to the puppies we got to keep them on base for the rest of the weekend. A horse trailer doubling as a kennel!
Tigs did well and ended up qualifying (with many others) for the Best Conditioned. There had been a bit of drama as I was heading out on one loop though, cantering out as you do and suddenly one rein came off! I guess it must not have got clipped on properly, luckily I managed to stop him by leaning forward and grabbing the cheek piece and quickly called out to Lisa who happened to be at a nearby truck, right next to the course. Perhaps it was outside assistance but definitely required and for health and safety reasons!
I was riding Tigger that day in a different bit and an actual leather bridle (!) and at the final vetting we managed not to have his halter there – being used to endurance style bridles where the halter is part of the bridle and thus not used to taking one the the strapping area – so had to borrow Daryl’s rainbow one. Kerry was not impressed, in fact photos were forbidden! But you see we don’t always do as we’re told! Tigger’s not looking that chuffed about it either!
So all in all quite a memorable event!
Next stop the Nationals and another 160 attempt for Tigger.
